Powerless
by littlerisssunshine
Summary: Sarah's thoughts have been betraying her, her strong resolve slowly starting to crumble. The tables have turned and Sarah finds herself wanting...him. What would it take for her to throw away her moral compass and give in to her darkest desires? Dark Jareth
1. A Change of Heart

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Labyrinth, any of its characters or anything else that belongs to Henson. Only OC characters are mine.**

 **Also, I've rated it M for future chapters (just in case.)**

 _ **Notes:**_ Anything in **Bold** means an emphasis of a particular word or phrase, and anything in _Italics_ equals a characters thoughts.

 **Ok so here goes nothing! On with the show :)**

* * *

" _Everything I've done, I've done for you. I move the stars for no one."_

 _'_ The Goblin King's velvety voice continued to dance through Sarah's mind well into the night of her return home from the mystifying walls of the labyrinth and the Underground where it resided.

 _The dance..._

No matter how hard she tried Sarah couldn't erase the look of admiration on the Goblin King's face when he first locked eyes with her in the bubble. The look alone practically swept her off her feet well before he pulled her into his arms and began to dance across the ballroom floor. Everything about it was so intimate. From the soft croon of his voice, to the way Sarah's heart fluttered when her hands enclosed around his strong shoulders. It really was the stuff dreams were made of.

An almost sad realization dawned on her at that moment as she was reminded of what she turned down.

 _I made the right decision though. Toby is safe. That's what matters._

Sarah sat on the edge of her bed, hands gently petting the quilted fabric of her comforter. Just an hour before she had danced and jumped around her bedroom celebrating her victory with her new friends, allies she had made during her conquest to rescue her baby brother, Toby, after she had wished him away to the fearsome Goblin King.

Everything had felt so right, she had never been so elated in her life. It was a miracle her father and her stepmother Karen didn't hear all the noise, the goblins in particular had no real concept of manners or how to use an "indoor voice." And not once in the midst of all the congratulations and big bear hugs did Sarah feel anything but pure joy.

 _Until now_ she thought bitterly. The quietness of the room finally allowing her true thoughts to run rampant.

She let out a rough sigh and fell backwards onto the bed. Sleep would be a near impossibility at this point. Half of her was still riding the invincible high of winning her brother back while the other half was busy sulking at the missed opportunity for romance and the unfairness of it all.

 _Wait, romance? He's like a thousand years old..._

Her face twisted into a grimace as she simultaneously rolled onto her side. Nothing was ever simple in her life anymore. It wasn't simple when her mother decided to pack up her belongings one cold December evening and walk, no **run,** out of Sarah and her father Robert's life. It wasn't simple when Robert finally decided to remarry Karen only two short years later, much to Sarah's disapproval. It still wasn't simple after Karen learned she was pregnant the same year Sarah started high school, and it only made sense that the first time Sarah had feelings for someone he turned out to be literally "out of this world."

 _Let's not forget ancient...and cruel..._ _ **and**_ _devastatingly handsome._

"Ugh," Sarah groaned, as she lightly slapped herself on the forehead. Try as she might she couldn't escape the mental images of mismatched eyes and feathery blonde hair falling messily over black leather. Escaping the labyrinth itself had felt like a breeze compared to trying to erase his wicked smirk from her mind.

Desperate for a distraction, Sarah glanced towards her bedside table to her left. Her eyes landed a top a small red leather bound book.

 _Oh just perfect._

Despite her knowledge that reading any part of that story would have the opposite effect of clearing her head, she stubbornly reached over and grabbed it anyway.

She skimmed through the pages, her breath hitching every time her eyes traced the words _The Goblin King._ But when she got to the part where it read " _but what no one knew, was that the king of the goblins had fallen in_ _ **love**_ _with the girl"_ Sarah hastily laid the book back on the table.

"No," she whispered to herself. "He didn't **love** me, it was just a game." She rolled back onto her back and silently pleaded with her mind to fall asleep.

* * *

Hours after Sarah had finally succumbed to sleep, she was left blissfully unaware to the pair of large blinking black eyes watching her from the other side of her bedroom window.

It was well into the night and the quiet suburban street was deserted. Had there been any passerbys who just happened to walk by and look up into the giant oak next to the William's residence, they might have spotted the beautiful white and brown owl staring towards the house. The scene would have seemed natural enough. What they wouldn't have known, however, was it wasn't really an owl at all.

Jareth. the clever Goblin King, had been watching Sarah for quite some time. At first he had still felt bitter towards the girl. Watching her dance and celebrate with her friends, **his** "supposedly" loyal subjects, had caused a wave of rage to wash over him and he found himself soaring off into the air to no where in particular.

When he had finally managed to cool off enough to keep composure, he turned his direction around and found himself back in front of Sarah's window. He internally chuckled to himself as he compared his secret observations to that of a person watching the animals in a zoo. Only here was the animal regarding the human.

 _What a delightful twist_ he thought amused.

Shortly after Jareth had returned from his flight, he was jubilant to find the "party" had reached its conclusion. He watched as Sarah bid her friends farewell, first the beast, next the fox, and lastly hugging the dwarf just a bit longer than the rest. The action spurred an unwanted emotion in him as he gave his attentions over to his wandering thoughts.

 _She'd never express such affection towards me..._

His face twisted into a grimace as a wave of envy washed over him. He had offered her so much, **given** so much. Never in his many years, many many to be exact, had the Goblin King so openly expressed his feelings for another. Matter of fact, he had never even had feelings for anyone before. He was born a king, and a powerful one at that, a privilege that had earned him countless women in his bed over his lifetime. Each one had submitted to his every desire without hesitation, completely compliant and eager to please.

Love was a messy, complicated emotion he found he fared far better off without.

 _Until Sarah..._

If Jareth had been in his true form, his fae body, he might have countered his previous thought with a slew of colorful words, harsh with a tone of resentment as his jealousy quickly morphed into irritation.

He had all but reached into his own chest, ripped out his beating heart and presented it to her on bended knee. _"Love me, fear me, do as I say...and I will be your_ _ **slave**_ _."_ Regret had hit him hard as soon as he spoke the heavy words, feeling completely vulnerable and helpless as he'd awaited her response.

Sure a part of him was desperate to say just about anything to silence the girl before she could finish the words that would haunt him long after they'd send her back to her home world. Another part of him, a selfish part, couldn't stomach the idea of being bested by any mortal at his own game and was just as serious in his efforts to persuade her.

In any other circumstances he wouldn't have dared confess just how badly he had wanted her to desire him, how badly **he** had wanted **her** , but time was running out and the words just slipped out from his mouth under the pressure of it all. Jareth had inadvertently handed her control of the situation, and when he looked into Sarah's captivating green eyes any hope he'd had died instantly as his blood ran cold.

The strong look of determination on her face had said it all before any sound even crossed her lips.

" _You have no power over me."_

An unfamiliar ache blossomed inside his chest as her words rang in his ears. It was over. She had denied and defied him, two things that Jareth lacked any and all experience with. He'd watched with anguish as Sarah disappeared in front of him, an aura of defeat hanging in the air.

 _So naive, yet...so cruel._

Owl Jareth twisted his head from side to side in efforts to absolve his somber thoughts. He turned his attention back to the raven haired beauty now fast asleep in her bed. Even with a rather ample distance between them, in his owl form his eyesight was extremely keen, granting him access to every detail of her subtle expressions.

Her slumber was anything but peaceful as she tossed and turned, every now and then a frown settling upon her face.

 _My my dear Sarah, what could possibly be troubling you? You made your choice, claimed your precious victory, why so perturbed?_

 _Unless..._

Jareth couldn't help the satisfaction that surged through him at the possibility that Sarah's distress may be born from regret. Regret for leaving the Underground...and **him** behind. It was a small chance, but a chance he'd be happy to take.

The Goblin King was nothing if not a gambling man. He loved his games, and up until a few hours before, he had never lost.

How nice it would be if only Sarah would reach out and accept the offering of his heart instead of selfishly stomping on it.

Even nicer still if she were the one nursing her wounded heart and pride while Jareth watched on with a smug smile on his face, the control placed back in his reigns where it belongs.

An evil smile spread across his subconscious's face as a plan hatched in the dark depths of his mind.

 _You may have won this round sweet Sarah mine, but make no mistake, I **always** get what I desire. _

With a dramatic flap of its wings, the owl swooped off the branch and soared off towards the glittering night sky.

* * *

 **So this is my first attempt at writing a story here on FF, and I'd really love to know what you thought! Please feel free to review or pm me. Hope you enjoyed it so far!**


	2. Uninvited

Three weeks had come and gone since Sarah's return. For the most part, things in her life had returned to normal.

Despite the importance of learning not to take anything for granted, she continued to find herself unable to bite her tongue whenever her stepmother made a request that Sarah found...vexatious. Just as her younger brother's tantrums and sporadic bouts of crying throughout the night continued to send her into fits of yelling how it "just isn't fair!"

Whenever the phrase would slip through her lips she'd instantly cover mouth, quickly retreat to her room and shut the door. Those words only made her think of **him** now, and she vowed to do whatever it took to wipe him clean from her memory no matter how difficult it might prove to be.

She had torn down all her posters and boxed up her figurines, even going so far as removing every book from her shelf that mentioned magical beings of any kind.

 _That ought to do it,_ Sarah had thought as she looked around her now, rather grown-up looking room feeling victorious.

As the days began to pass, it didn't take long for the Goblin King's handsome face to fade from the forefront of her mind as she busied herself with schoolwork, the occasional social event and most importantly, preparing for her sweet sixteen.

The big day was tomorrow, and as far as she was concerned it would be the second biggest event of her life. She couldn't help but consider her time in the labyrinth as the first and also best thing that had ever happened to her, or ever would, even if she was trying her hardest to forget its ruler.

Sarah sat alone at her dining room table, swirling her spoon through a bowl of milk and what was left of her cereal. It was Saturday morning and her father and Karen had taken Toby to visit with Karen's parents for the morning, leaving her to fend for herself at breakfast. Bravery and intelligence may have been among Sarah's strong suits, but a good cook...not so much.

She stared down absentmindedly at the soggy contents in her dish while simultaneously replaying the party's guest list in her mind, hoping she hadn't forgotten anyone seeing as it was far too late to mail out any new invitations.

 _Let's see...my parents and Toby of course, Rowan and Matt, Laura, Jade, Uncle Thomas and Aunt Lindy, Grandma Helen, Issac, Erik and Stacy, Victoria and...well I think that's it._

 _If only I could invite Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus as well,_ Sarah mused sadly.

She could just imagine the reactions she'd get from her family and friends if the odd trio made an appearance. Half of them would probably faint while the other half would spend the rest of their lives on a psychiatrist's sofa every other week.

 _And if they'd think that was crazy, I can only imagine how they'd respond to hi-_

Her spoon fell from her hand, hitting the glass bowl with a loud clank. Her eyes went wide for just a second before snapping shut as she scolded herself aloud for her slip.

"Damn it! And I was doing so good. God that's so like him, just pop right up when the timings least convenient."

 _Well...he didn't exactly_ _ **force**_ _you to imagine him, it's kind of your own fault._

"Oh nice! Who's side are you on?," she spat at her own unwelcome thought.

 _Wow...if anyone could see me now..._

Suddenly deciding she was no longer hungry and determined to distract herself, she proceeded to bring her dish over to the sink and began rinsing it out. Her diversion was unsuccessful as a new, more critical thought crossed her mind.

 _What if I can't **ever** think about Hoggle, Sir Didymus or Ludo without thinking about him...then what? I can't, no I **won't** , forget them, too. But...but what if I have no choice?_

The water continued to cascade down onto the now empty and forgotten bowl as Sarah stared numbly out the large kitchen window directly in front of her.

The window overlooked the Williams' relatively spacious backyard, a sea of lush freshly mowed green grass. To the far right lay Karen's garden, made up of pretty rows of sunflowers, geraniums and a different variety of vegetables. Standing tall in the center of the flowers was a bird house made of refurbished wood, painted white with a bright teal roof. The color scheme had been Sarah's idea. She had helped her dad make it just after her mom left. It didn't do much to ease her heartache at the time, but looking back on it now she realized it had been her father's way of trying to strengthen their bond, considering they had now had only each other.

On the other side of the yard sat the garage, a place her sheepdog Merlin was much too familiar with according to Sarah. Karen on the other hand felt she "worked too damn hard" cleaning and keeping the house together to allow even a few messy paw prints to ruin it all.

Still gazing out the window, Sarah stared straight ahead not really focusing on anything in particular, just trying her hardest to come up with a solution that involved her getting to keep her newest friends without the risk of ever being reminded of their infuriating monarch, and by affiliation, jeopardizing her sanity.

Just as she neared giving up all hope, a flash of white outside to the right snapped her back to attention. She curiously glanced over.

Sitting atop the vibrant roof of the bird house sat a large white and brown owl. It's head was cast down, casually combing its beak through its feathers.

 _How strange, an owl in the morning? That's a first._

Her skepticism was quickly replaced by curiosity and admiration as she continued to silently appreciate the beauty of the creature resting in her backyard. But when the owl turned it's head towards the house and stared in her direction, an uneasy feeling settled deep in Sarah's stomach. The moment its eyes locked with hers...it finally clicked.

"That sneaky bastard!," Sarah screamed as she shut off the faucet and raced towards the back door. "And here I was just ooglinghim like a fucking groupie!" She had completely forgotten that one of the Goblin King's many talents was his ability to shape-shift. Matter of fact, the first time she had ever laid eyes on him he had been in his animal form, right before dramatically poofing behind a cloud off glitter and emerging as the impressively enticing fae that he was.

When she reached the door she gripped the handle roughly and slammed it back into the wall in her fury, not caring at all what Karen might say about the mark it left.

She skipped over the two small steps that led down into the grass and made a beeline straight for the birdhouse. Her actions were abruptly halted however, when she noticed that the object of her frustrations was suddenly no where in sight.

For a split second Sarah wondered if she had just made the whole thing up, or perhaps it really **had** been nothing more than a strange coincidence.

 _Oh no...no I **know** it was him! The way he deliberately looked over at me...he was toying with me. I hate him, I hate him!_

She spun around in a circle, desperately searching for any sight of him so that she could grab him by the neck and slowly rip his feathers out one by one.

How dare he spy on her? The whole point of forgetting him was to never think of his existence again, which would be impossible if he continued to make "special appearances" every now and again.

 _What if he's been watching me ever since I came back?_

That thought alone made Sarah's blood boil. Her cheeks flushed red with her rage.

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" she roared into the open air, fairly certain he was probably hiding somewhere close enough to hear. The urge to breakdown and cry had never been more prevalent. It seemed like no matter how strong she proved she could be, the Goblin King always knew just how to tear her down and make her feel her weakest. She could feel the tears start to build behind her eyes.

 _No! This is what he wants Sarah, to watch you break. He lost and he can't let it go._ _It's time to remind him who he's playing with._

She took one last look around the empty yard not entirely sure if she really wanted to find him or not.

With an exasperated sigh she stalked back to the house.

* * *

The doors to the castle at the center of the labyrinth flew open upon recognizing their master's return.

There was a pep in his step as the Goblin King strolled towards his throne room.

The heated look on Sarah's face when she had finally realized it was him, excited Jareth in the finest way. If anger truly blossomed from feelings of passion, then the intensity of her glare through the window revealed an ocean of hidden desires.

He had debated staying put, letting her confront him for the first time since their fateful last encounter, but had ultimately decided his plan would work best if he left her feeling anxious and bothered.

Bracing himself, he turned the final corner to his destination. The hoard of goblins immediately erupted into a chorus of cheers as he relaxed into the throne. He bared his fangs in a Cheshire like grin, feeling a swell of pride from all the admiration.

"Hooray the king is back!"

"Did you see the girl? Did you? DID YOU!?"

"We missed you!"

"Tirgon stole my chicken again!"

"Yay you're back, party party!"

Their voices blended together into one loud noise that would give any normal person a splitting headache, but the Goblin King was well accustomed to their frenzy.

"Yes, yes I've missed you all as well. Now settle down I need to think," his voice sounding sterner than he actually felt. It was unnecessary considering all of the goblins he allowed in his castle would faithfully jump headfirst into the bog of eternal stench themselves if he asked them to, all the while praising his good name. He simply enjoyed exercising his authority every now and again.

It took only a few minutes before complete silence arrived at last, and Jareth wasted no time in planning his next move.

 _I do believe it's Sarah's birthday tomorrow, perhaps I'll bring her another gift..._ he thought with a devilish smirk.

His daydreaming was cut short by sharp footsteps echoing out in the hall. He stared annoyingly at the two fae women who entered underneath the archway. The woman on the left was tall but shapely, her long purple gown hugging her curves in all the right places. Her dark hair was long as well, running all the way down to the small of her back in loose waves. Beside her stood a slimmer petite woman in a long burgundy gown with a plunging neckline. Her hair was done up in an intricate updo, the same golden shade as Jareth's. Her violet eyes lit up brightly when they landed on him.

"And just to what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked with less than enthusiasm.

The two females looked at each other for just a moment, before turning their attention back towards Jareth with matching grins.

* * *

It was almost evening before Sarah's parents returned home.

Her father had come upstairs to check on her like he always did, not surprised in the least to find her sitting in the center of her bed, staring intently between several books laid out open in front of her. She barely looked up when he asked if she had eaten today, and calmly retreated when she replied that she had and was no longer hungry, her voice thick with annoyance.

She might have felt bad if she didn't believe that what she was doing was so much more important than engaging in pointless small talk.

After her brief encounter with the Goblin King that morning, she realized she had been going about the whole situation all wrong. In her efforts to forget him, all she was really doing was admitting that she wasn't strong enough to think about him without desiring him in some unnatural way. So, instead of running away, it was time to face it head on.

She had spent the entire afternoon researching through some of the fairytale books she had previously packed away, desperately looking for any key words such as "fae", "fairy," or even "goblin".

There had to be something somewhere in her books that could help her figure out how to stop the Goblin King from tormenting her, but in every story she read the hero/heroine's journey ended with either their victory or their defeat. That was how it was supposed to be.

 _I ran in the legendary labyrinth **and** I won. According to all these accounts my life should be filled with riches or never ending happiness, not full of stress and unwanted Goblin King imagery. _

Feeling overworked and still no closer to a solution for her problem than she was weeks ago, Sarah closed her books discouragingly. She resolved that maybe she really was hungry after all, and climbed off her bed to head downstairs.

For the first time in a long time, dinner at the Williams' had been a rather pleasant occasion. Instead of brooding the whole time and copping an unwarranted attitude when Karen would politely ask Sarah how her day had been, she managed to maintain a civil conversation even going so far as to inquire about their trip to Karen's parent's.

Robert watched on in astonishment, half way convinced his daughter had somehow been abducted by aliens in his absence and that the Sarah look-a-like sitting to his right was a fraud. How else could he explain the friendly exchange that was taking place between her and his wife right in front of him? He gazed over to his left at Toby with a perplexed look on his face, as if to say "can you believe what's going on here?," but the babe was too young and too busy playing with his food to notice.

After dinner, Sarah continued to surprise by offering to clear the table and put away the leftovers. Normally she would fly off to her room straight away, never bothering to lend a hand. Robert just shook his head in amazement, not daring to speak and risk breaking Sarah from whatever trance that had clearly befallen her. Karen's face lit up in a genuine smile, and she thanked her for being so thoughtful.

Truth was, Sarah had secretly hoped her dramatic reversal of character was the answer she had been looking for. Maybe the reason the Goblin King still had the advantage of watching her whenever he pleased, was because despite being victorious in rescuing her brother, she had failed to incorporate the valuable lesson the labyrinth had taught her into her daily life. That was the whole point of it all wasn't it? So she could learn to appreciate her loved ones and not simply wish them away when things got rough? Yeah, it was a hell of a long shot, but by now she was willing to give anything a try.

Karen had made her homemade four-cheese lasagna, a family favorite, and served grilled asparagus and garlic bread on the side. All three of them had opted for seconds so there wasn't a whole lot of food left for Sarah to put away and it didn't take her much time at all.

Every time Sarah would carry a new dish into the kitchen she would detour around the table first and swipe her hand through Toby's hair messily causing his hands to flail up and giggle uncontrollably. She had to admit it was so much nicer hearing him laugh than cry.

When the last of the left overs were placed neatly in the fridge, she grabbed up the remaining dirty dishes on the counter and walked them over to the sink where Karen was already busy scrubbing away. She placed them in the dirty pile and started to retreat towards her room when Karen spoke up suddenly.

"Sarah, I'd like you to know I really appreciated you opening up tonight. I know these past few years have been anything but easy for you but...one day I just hope you realize you could have a friend here if you wanted to. Tonight was the first time I ever felt like we might be making some progress, so...thank you," she turned away from the plate she was washing to look her in the eye.

For a moment Sarah remained silent. Sure, she was making an effort to be more respectful and attentive with her family from now on, but she wasn't entirely certain she ever wanted to become "friends" with her stepmother. She still blamed Karen for taking all of her father's attention away from her, especially when she had still needed him the most.

Finally she found what she felt was an appropriate response.

"Well I am turning sixteen tomorrow after all, I **guess** it's finally time I matured a bit," she said, ending with a playful grin.

Karen laughed as she grabbed another dirty plate from the water. "Whatever it is that's got you in such an agreeable mood, it's nice. Don't let it go," she added before turning her attention back to her chore.

Sarah's smile faded first into a look of puzzlement followed by disgust.

 _Lucky for you I **can't** let it go..._

No longer interested in trying to think of something proper to say, she simply dismissed herself from the kitchen and headed up the stairs to her bedroom. As soon as she shut the door she quickly changed out of her oversized sweater and dark blue jeans into a comfortable pair of pink and purple flannel pajamas.

On her way to throw her dirty clothes in a hamper in the hallway she paused to stare at the dress now hanging on the back of her door. She had picked it out with her best friend Rowan's help to wear for her birthday. It was made of a pretty pink fabric that reminded Sarah of a flamingo. The length was short but modest, hitting just past mid thigh, the bottom half flaring out from the waist. What had really made her love it though, was the bodice. A sheer overlay of lace covered the top and the sleeves poofed out just short of obnoxious. It was stylish enough to impress her friends, but whimsical enough for her own unique taste. She smiled to herself as she remembered how good it looked when she had tried it on. It was almost as pretty as...

Images of the ballroom flooded her mind. She threw her clothes down in a huff and turned away from the door.

 _I'll never get over this will I?_

The bottom half of her bed was still covered in books. She knew the smart thing to do would be to go over all of her party preparations one final time before the big day tomorrow like she had planned. Instead she found herself shoving the books carelessly onto the floor and climbing into bed.

It was barely past 7pm, but after the events of the day Sarah felt drained. She laid back onto her pillow and closed her eyes, pictures of pink party dresses, birthday wishes and mismatched blue eyes danced through her head.

* * *

Thank you so SO much to everyone who left a review, I appreciate each and every one :) I'm sorry it took longer than I had hoped to get this chapter up, and hopefully it didn't disappoint, thanks again!


	3. Masquerade

A cool draft blew in from Sarah's bedroom window stirring her from her peaceful slumber.

Keeping her eyes closed she wrapped the blanket tighter around herself in an effort to stay warm. She had been dreaming she were a princess in a faraway land. Not the damsel in distress kind of course, but a fierce heroine fighting alongside her soldiers to bring peace back to her people. Full of adventure and excitement, this was the kind of dream she enjoyed the most and she reached with her mind to hold onto it.

Just as she started slipping back into blissful unconsciousness a soft tune floated through the air bringing her right back into reality. It was muted slightly, sounding like it was coming from another room or downstairs perhaps.

The melody itself was pretty, and under any other circumstances Sarah might have been intrigued, but in her dream she had been so close to victory and she was hellbent on finishing it.

She rein-visioned herself standing on the battlefield, her long hair secured in a thick braid blowing back in the wind, sharp sword in her right hand and heavy shield in her left.

All around her blades clashed together. She looked ahead into the sea of soldiers, each and every one risking their life to defend the cause they believed in. No longer wanting to just stand around and watch Sarah charged ahead towards the nearest enemy she could find.

He was completely unsuspecting, too busy relishing in his small victory over taking down a rather large opponent.

She approached silently and swiftly, her sword raised at just the right angle to slip into the sweet spot below his underarm where his armor didn't cover. He instantly dropped to the ground when she removed her blade, now halfway covered in fresh blood.

 _Never even saw it coming_ she thought proudly.

It wouldn't be long before her adversaries declared their surrender, her army was already twice as large as theirs by now.

She looked around again, hunting for another lone soldier to engage in battle with. In a matter of seconds she spotted her target, only this time they locked eyes and she charged forward once more.

They were only steps away from each other when the music she'd heard earlier began to float in with the wind. It was louder than the last time and for a moment Sarah was stunned. No one else seemed to notice but her, and the brief distraction was her downfall as the man in front of her raised his sword in preparation for the lethal blow.

"What is even going on?" she managed to whine before he attacked and everything faded to black.

With her eyes still screwed shut she could now hear the tune as clear as day as she was forced out of her dream once again.

She laid still and listened for a moment, completely annoyed at the sound despite its haunting beauty.

As aggravating as it was, she'd never be able to fall back asleep as long as music kept playing and she decided it would be pointless to keep mentally complaining about it.

"I swear if Karen is responsible for this she can shove her friendship invitation right back up her ass," Sarah mumbled as she sat up and opened her eyes to check the time on the alarm clock sitting on her nightstand.

Her breath hitched in her throat when her eyes failed to land on their target. They didn't land on anything familiar in fact, as she studied her environment suddenly feeling very awake.

 _ **What the fu**..._

As her sight adjusted to the darkness, a wave of panic washed over her at what she saw erasing the very thought from her mind.

She was outside **.**

The floral covered walls of her bedroom had been replaced by two neat rows of thick stone hedges on either side of her stretching a good distance ahead before splitting off into a cross road. Glittering vines snaked up the rocky surfaces in intricate patterns. The entire scene was way too **familiar**. She paled as realization dawned on her.

 _I don't believe it...this isn't happening..._

Her mind was racing trying to come up with a logical explanation for why she was suddenly, and **unwillingly** , back inside the labyrinth.

"I never made a wish!," she yelled hysterically into the open air. "I shouldn't be here. I didn't wish!"

On the verge of tears, Sarah shut her eyes as tight as she could.

 _Maybe when I open them I'll be back in my room_ she thought trying to comfort herself. _You're still dreaming that's all, and when you open your eyes everything will be back as it should be._

Taking a deep breath, she counted to three, and slowly lifted her eyelids.

"Oh come on!," she wailed as her prayers went unheard.

She tried her best to keep her now rapid breathing steady but it felt like she was suffocating.

 _Why am I here? What did I do this time!?_

"I can't believe this is happening. If **he** had anything to do with this I swear I'll ki...," her eyes widened at the thought.

 _The Goblin King!_

She glanced up immediately as if she expected to see him there, flying around in his owl form mocking her, relishing in her distress.

She found herself temporarily distracted as her eyes landed instead on the moon. It was impossible to miss, large and round hanging high in the indigo sky. Surrounding it were a seemingly infinite amount of golden glowing stars. She had never seen one so magnificent in her own world, it was hard not to admire it for a moment, but she quickly remembered what she had been looking for.

"Where are you?," she whispered as she continued her scan of the sky. No sign of him. "Damn."

Deciding that no one was going to help her figure things out this time around, Sarah reached down to push the covers off her legs. When her hand grabbed the material of her blanket she was startled by the texture. Her normal quilted comforter had been replaced by a big thin layer of what could only be described as spongy moss. It was surprisingly sturdy as she brushed her fingertips over the surface. She squeezed a section in her hand and was amazed it remained perfectly intact.

After she had her fill marveling over the bizarre material she finished pushing it off of herself and stood up from her bed. Or **a** bed anyway.

The white frame had been replaced by dark wooden logs that extended down into the ground with a tangled mess of roots.

 _How was that so comfortable?_ She tilted her head in confusion before shaking it with a sigh. _This place will never make sense._

It was then that Sarah noticed the soft notes of the melody were still dancing through the air. She had been so distracted she completely forgot what had woken her up in the first place.

Standing motionless, she concentrated on finding which direction the music was coming from. Clearly it was calling to her and she had a pretty good idea who was responsible. The sooner she got to the bottom of this nightmare the sooner she'd be done with it.

It appeared to be playing from straight ahead, towards the cross in the road. She should have known she'd have to work for it, the Goblin King loved his games after all.

She braced herself before taking a step only to nearly trip face first onto the pavement, her foot having caught on something. She peered down to find herself completely redressed from head to toe. No longer in her plaid pajamas, she was now outfitted in a magnificent creamy silk gown that flowed all the way to the ground. It was a light golden color that clung to her figure from top to bottom, the neckline coming to a low v, revealing way more than Sarah had ever dared to before.

It was sleeveless with two straps on either side that crisscrossed over her shoulders, joining in an X on the mostly exposed back. Even her hair had been changed from loose straight strands to a delicate up-do high upon her head. When she reached up to touch a curly piece of hair dangling down the side of her face, her fingers landed upon a velvety object resting on the upper half of her face. Curious, she brought both hands up to explore the rest strange object. It was extremely soft and only seemed to cover the area around her eyes. _I'm wearing a mask?_

Her observations were cut short as a chilling feeling shot up her spine sending her defense signals into red alert.

She knew **he** was there before she even looked up.

The Goblin King stood directly in the center of the cross road, his body facing Sarah in a most predatory way. He was dressed in all black, wearing his signature overly tight pants and tall boots. A mask also donned the top half of his face, covering all but his chin, but Sarah **knew** was him by the aura he radiated even from so far away.

For a moment she had no idea what to do, seeing him in his fae form again for the first time since the rejection left her stunned. Was he angry? Should she be afraid? Or more importantly, did he still... **want** her?

Before her mind had the chance to take off completely on what ifs and what nots, the goblin king disappeared down the path to his right leaving her all alone again.

"Hey wait! Where are you going!?" she yelled as she started running down the aisle towards him, mindful to pick up the bottom half of her dress this time.

When she finally reached the corner she spotted him a short distance ahead, just before he teasingly vanished behind another wall.

"Stop! Tell me why you brought me here!?," her cries still went unanswered as she continued chasing him through the twists and turns of the maze.

Every time she thought she might actually be gaining on him, she'd turn a new corner only to find him even farther ahead than before. Her chest was starting to ache from all the running and she knew it wouldn't be long before she needed to rest.

As he slipped behind yet another turn she followed close behind, expecting to find him way off in the distance like always. She rounded the corner barely stopping herself in time to avoid colliding with the giant stone wall in front of her. It was a dead end.

She spun around searching for him, surely he didn't walk through the wall?

 _Who am I kidding he's **the goblin king**_ , _his pastimes include turning scarves into snakes and creating hallucinogenic peaches, why should I be surprised?_

Remembering the advice she received from the little blue worm on her first journey through the labyrinth she pushed against the stone on all three sides hoping to find a secret entrance of some sort. There was none.

Tired and frustrated, Sarah angrily slapped the center wall with both her hands. If she couldn't walk through it maybe she could just break the damn thing down.

"Okay you win!," she shouted defeated. "I give up, okay? Just please tell me why I'm here."

The music that had still been playing finally ceased and the strange tingling sensation returned creeping slowly up her spine.

"It's about time I heard you say that," he spoke, his voice seductively low and dangerously close to Sarah's ear. "Now tell me pet, what do I win?"

She jumped at the sound of his voice, her wide green eyes nearly popping right out of her head. Turning around, the breath she had been holding got stuck in her throat as she took in the sight of him.

His mask was gone and his two-toned blue eyes seemed even brighter under the moonlight somehow as they unmercifully pierced straight through her with his gaze.

"It's...it's **you**...," was all she could manage to muster. She had always imagined she'd have something more clever to say at their reunion. Not that she wanted to have one...of course not, but she had still thought about it.

"Were you expecting another?," he asked with a raise of his brow.

She continued to stare at him, silently hoping the cat who obviously had her tongue would just get lost already.

Finally finding her voice she asked, "What could you possibly want from me this time?," ignoring his question.

He simply laughed, the sound sending butterflies fluttering through Sarah's stomach.

"What's so funny? Why did you bring me here?," her patience was filling up fast as he resorted from laughing to grinning at her in that smug "holier than thou" way of his. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as his silence persisted.

"ANSWER ME!" she exploded unable to take it any longer, the intensity and volume of her voice shocking them both.

His smile faded only slightly.

"I don't want anything **from** you precious, I simply want...you."

She felt her knees tremble at his confession but managed to hold herself up as they continued their stare down.

"But I walked away...that was supposed to be the end of it. I thought-"

"That we would spend the rest of our existences apart? That I would so easily bow down and give you up all because you spoke a few tasteless words," he interrupted. "Such a foolish thought. We belong together Sarah mine. There are some things you simply can't escape from."

She couldn't help but stare at him incredulously as he said the very last thing she wanted to hear. It felt like she was literally splitting in two. Her heart was soaring at the thought that someone could feel so strongly for her, to make such a declaration, much like the ones she had read in her fairy tales. Her mind however, felt insulted. Why allow her to think she had any control of her fate, if he was just going to do as he pleased anyway?

"You can't! This isn't...it's not...it isn't fair!," the words spilled out before she could stop them.

He let out another light laugh much to Sarah's disapproval.

"Still acting like a child are we?," he teased.

"I am not a child!," she huffed crossing her arms.

She caught a dark glint flash across his eyes sending her nerves into overdrive. He took a single step forward causing her to back up against the stone wall. The wicked smile that spread across his face made her feel like nothing more than a field mouse trapped in the owl's deadly talons.

"Oh you're not you say?," he said before biting his bottom lip suggestively. It only took him one more stride before he was directly in front of her, their faces only inches apart. The lusty look in his eyes as he drank in the sight of her up close sent goosebumps across her flesh. He leaned his head in closer to hers.

"Prove it to me," he whispered, their lips almost touching.

Heat swelled through her body at his words and the anticipation of his kiss. Part of her was screaming at herself to slap him, shove him, do **something** to get herself out of this situation. The rest of her was basking in this new warm sensation and she was no longer sure she even wanted him to stop.

He hovered his lips over hers for what felt like an eternity before he dropped down to the ground in front of her, much to Sarah's surprise. She never thought she'd see the day the Goblin King went to his knees...for **anyone**.

Before she could question why he was kneeling for her, he quickly reached out, wrapping his left hand around her hip.

She instinctively tugged away, but his grip was strong enough to hold on. He looked up into her eyes before he began slowly stroking her thigh with his thumb.

 _What the hell?_

Her mind raced at lightning speed trying to come to terms with how the Goblin King was now sensually caressing her leg and why her body was so positively responding to it.

Everywhere his fingers touched it felt like he had set her on fire. She found herself craving his touch on other parts of her body, but instead of voicing it, she quietly watched him, curious at what he planned to do next.

Gazes still locked, he brought his free hand down to grip the bottom of her gown. The other released her hip shortly after to follow suit.

As his hand left her side she forced herself not to frown. She tried her hardest to read his expression, to predict what his next move would be. Her innocent mind simply wasn't prepared.

He casually began lifting the hem of her dress up her legs inch by inch, his fingers tantalizingly brushing against her calves. Her mouth parted slightly as she continued to stare down at him with a mixture of anxiety and desire.

By the time his hands reached her knees, he had both hands wrapped around her legs in a firm but gentle caress. The leather of his gloves felt smooth and cool, a welcome relief against her flaming skin.

"Are you ready?," he asked gently.

"Ready?" _Ready for what?_ She screamed internally.

Bending forward he lowered his lips and kissed her calf just underneath his left hand. Without warning, he continued pushing her dress up higher, his lips following the path of his hands.

Sarah felt her eyes close as a moan threatened to escape her mouth. The heat she felt from his hands was starting to spread and rise to places her virgin self was ashamed of. Sure she'd had crushes before, but the butterflies always stayed in her stomach, not between her legs.

As his mouth trailed higher still, his kisses increased their intensity as well. She could feel his tongue softly massage her skin, as he tasted the inside of her thigh.

She opened her eyes needing to watch, mesmerized by the look of devotion on his face. He was taking his time, savoring every kiss like he needed them to survive. The passion he had for her was driving her wild.

"No peach in existence could taste as sweet as you," he paused, breathing heavily against her flesh before resuming his delightful torture.

 _OH...MY...GOD..._

Whether it was his sexy foreign accent, or the words themselves that motivated her, Sarah couldn't control her body's movements as she tilted her pelvis forward, subconsciously encouraging him to pick up his pace.

He was only too happy to oblige as he vigorously and abruptly shoved her dress up past her belly button.

As the cool night air hit her stomach, common sense flooded back to her mind, slowly bringing her out of the Goblin King's spell. She reached down gripping his shoulders roughly. The action was meant to halt his performance entirely, but it only succeeded in turning him on even more.

"Sarah...," he called out, desperation clear in his voice. In a split second his lips slid up the sensitive crease between her thigh and abdomen before landing on their target in the center of her legs.

Her head fell back on reflex as her nails dug into his upper back. She tried her hardest not to make a sound, but the skill of his lips on her was just too much...

"Oooooooohhhhhh," she cried lurching forward, her body spasming from an intense wave of pleasure. As quickly as it came it was gone, the feeling of his mouth disappearing suddenly.

"What the...," she said still trying to catch her breath. She was in her room, back in her bed, her pink and purple pjs damp with sweat.

 _It really_ _ **was**_ _a dream..._

She sat there perfectly still for what felt like hours before finally reclining back on her pillow. She could still see his sapphire eyes burning into her own, could still **feel** his touch...

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Once again I'd like to thank all the reviewers and also everyone who followed and favorited! You guys are my biggest motivators and push me to try my best. So thank you!

Can you tell it's my first time writing a "smut" scene (if you could even call it that lol.) It wasn't meant to be too graphic, Sarah is still so young after all. But I promise to keep practicing for future chapters. It will get better!

Also, I know the whole dream scene is heavily used in this fandom, but hopefully it was at least relatively convincing to be a surprise to some.

And it's with a heavy heart that I dedicate this chapter to the late (and great!) David Bowie. So happy that I found this fandom when I did, and was able to become a part of it. His memory will live on here if no where else. Gone but never forgotten. RIP


	4. Sweet Sixteen

Pale yellow sunlight streamed through the window delicately illuminating Sarah's cozy little bedroom. She was buried beneath her quilted comforter, the top pulled up over her eyes shielding them from the warm morning rays.

She felt like shit.

It had been nearly impossible to fall back asleep after her "risque" dream last night, if she could even call it one. Only once before had a dream felt so realistic, but she wasn't sure if the Goblin King had anything to do with this one or not. After all, she hadn't eaten anything peculiar before bed last night...

Still, she just couldn't shake the feeling he might still be toying with her. The idea made her angry and exhausted at the same time. What could she even do about it? She didn't possess magic like him. She was helpless.

And if he wasn't involved then...that would mean that she...

 _No Sarah don't even go there._

She shoved the covers down and sat up before her thoughts could continue down their scandalous path.

On one hand there was the possibility that the Goblin King had taken advantage of the confused and vulnerable state she seemed to be stuck in lately, or on the other hand she had actually **wanted** him to.

It was a lose lose situation.

The idea that her own forbidden desires, and hers alone, were to blame for last night's episode was too scandalous for her tired mind to comprehend this early in the morning.

She looked around for a moment, her focus sharp as she studied each one of the familiar contents in her room, half expecting something strange to jump out at her. Or someone...

After last nights events she wanted to make absolutely sure there would be no more surprises.

Satisfied to find nothing and no one out of the ordinary, Sarah climbed out of bed and began tenderly stretching her lazy morning muscles, reaching down towards the floor, unable to to stop the dramatic yawn that escaped her. Just another reminder of her lack of sleep and the reason behind it.

 _Pleeeease think of something else... **anything** else..._

She stood up and paced around the room, hands clasped tightly behind her head, as she tried her best to divert her tiresome thoughts.

 _I wonder what Rowan's been up to. It's been days since we've talked. I'm surprised she hasn't called yet considering its my birt-...OH WAIT! MY BIRTHDAY!_

A bright smile lit her entire face as soon as she remembered what day it was.

 _How could I forget!_

All memories of the previous night flew to the back of her mind as she rushed out of her room and down the stairs.

She headed straight towards the kitchen, the smell of fresh bacon sizzling on the stove flooding the whole lower level of her house. It wasn't at all uncommon for Sarah to come downstairs first thing in the morning and find Karen already busy at work preparing breakfast for the family, but she couldn't help feeling like somehow today it was all especially for her.

She stopped briefly in the hallway and inhaled deeply. If there was one food on this planet she didn't think she could live without, it was most definitely bacon.

 _I wonder if the Underground has bacon?_

She closed her eyes suddenly as a wave of frustration washed over her.

 _No. No you don't._

"Not today," she finished the thought aloud as she stormed the rest of the way into the kitchen.

Karen had just placed the last piece of bacon on a plate near the stove, and was getting ready to begin frying the eggs in the leftover bacon grease, when Sarah rushed into the room with a pout and plopped heavily down onto a bar stool at the island in the center of the room.

"Well good morning sunshine," Karen teased as she secretly studied Sarah's reaction out of the corner of her eye while simultaneously flipping over an egg.

"It was supposed to be...," Sarah muttered under her breath.

"Did you say something?," Karen asked genuinely as she set her spatula down and gave Sarah her full attention.

"No, is breakfast ready yet?"

"Almost," Karen answered concernedly. She wanted to ask Sarah what was wrong, clearly something was bothering her. Any other day it might make sense given Sarah's usual moodiness, but not on her sixteenth birthday...

She was almost hopeful that after their friendly conversation the night before, she might actually have a chance at getting Sarah to open up for once. She opened her mouth to speak, but before the words could find their way out, the solemn look Sarah was still sporting caused her to think twice. Silence stretched between them.

After a moment Sarah glanced up. She didn't miss the turmoil that crossed her stepmother's features and it didn't take a genius to figure out the cause.

 _I am **really** not it the mood for this. _

"Where's my dad?," she quickly asked, desperate for an escape from the interrogation that Karen was clearly debating on delivering.

"In the living room with your brother," she barely got the whole sentence out before Sarah had slid back out of her chair and headed towards the living room.

"Sarah, wait," Karen called out just before Sarah could turn the corner. Without a word Sarah glanced back hesitantly, mentally preparing herself for the onslaught.

Karen let out a sigh. "Nothing. Happy Birthday Sarah," she said with a subtle smile before turning back to continue cooking breakfast.

 _Thank God._

"Thank you," was her simple reply as she rounded the corner to find her dad.

* * *

The rest of the morning was awkward to say the least. Seeing her father hadn't gone a whole lot better than her conversation with Karen. Yeah she knew it was obvious she wasn't in the best spirits, but why did everyone have to make such a big deal out of it? At least her father dropped it fairly quickly with a big hug and an enthusiastic "Happy Birthday kiddo", but it didn't make breakfast any less uncomfortable. Every one ate silently, besides Toby who was busy entertaining himself by babbling to his food. Sarah simply didn't feel like talking, and as much as her parents were concerned, neither wanted to risk further upsetting the birthday girl. Afterward she had politely excused herself and ran upstairs to begin getting ready.

Now Sarah stood concentrating hard on her image through the upstairs bathroom mirror as she wrapped her final strand of hair around her curling iron.

Despite the conflicting emotions regarding how she felt about the peach dream, one thing she couldn't deny was how beautiful she felt when she'd caught sight of herself on the mirrored wall. Even as she smashed it into a thousand tiny pieces.

She was intensely focused as she curled, trying her hardest to replicate the ethereal look, but it was proving to be a challenge. She just couldn't seem to compete with the Goblin King and his magical "beautifying" abilities.

 _Maybe I should have accepted his offer after all, at least I'd never have to do my own hair again..._

"What? No...NO," she said aloud as she realized where her thoughts were straying yet again. She stared at her reflection in horror, as if it were the only one responsible for the idea. "There are absolutely zeroreasons to ever even considerthat proposal again. **No** more wondering, **no** more imagining, it **never** happened. Enough is enough!" she scolded herself exasperatedly.

A hard knock, followed by Karen's voice came through the bathroom door startling Sarah.

"Is everything all right Sarah, who are you talking to?"

She jumped reflexively from surprise, the hand wrapping her hair around the hot iron slipped just enough, causing her to painfully burn the side of her finger.

"OWWW...damn it!," she yelled as she set the curler down on the counter and turned the faucet on, placing her finger under the cold water.

"Sarah language!," called Karen from behind the door.

"Well you burned me!," Sarah yelled accusingly as she shut the faucet off and flung the door open.

"Oh Sarah honestly. You know I did no such thing," her stepmother said with a frown, disappointed with Sarah's outburst. "Here let me see," she said reaching for her hand.

"No it's okay, I'll be fine," Sarah said as she defensively pulled her arm away and cradled her hand to her chest.

Karen just stared at Sarah silently for a moment, confusion and disappointment playing heavily across her face.

"Sarah are you sure you're okay?," she finally asked.

"I said I'll be fine, it's just a little burn. I'm a big girl now after all, I can handle it," Sarah ended playfully hoping her stepmother would find that answer acceptable.

"No that's not what I meant, Sarah. Are **you** okay, you know in general? Lately you've just been so...so spaced out and all over the place. One minute you're up, and the next you're back down. I had really hoped that after last night you and I might actually make progress, but I'm no longer sure we're on the same page. I just want to understand Sarah, that's all," Karen said letting out a deep breath at the end, relieved to finally get that all off her chest.

Sarah stared at Karen's worried expression and couldn't help but feel bad for her. She really did seem to be trying to connect, and if Sarah's life had been anything remotely close to what a normal teenager's was supposed to be, she imagined she'd try her best to take her up on her offer fully. But how could she ever expect someone like Karen, who was basically the living definition of a rationalist, to understand her and the things she had experienced and believed in?

"I'm honestly okay," she lied with what she hoped was a convincing smile. "I'm sorry that I worried you, I've just been stressing about today that's all."

"Okay...you know I'm here though, if you ever need to talk?," Karen could tell Sarah wasn't telling the whole truth, but decided not to press her luck any further.

"Yes thank you," she said her cheeks starting to hurt from her fake smile.

"You look lovely by the way, the curls definitely suit you. No need to stress there," Karen said smiling back before finally exiting the bathroom and heading back down the hall.

 _So glad that's over._

Sarah turned her attention back to the mirror. She ran her hands through her curls just once to give them volume, turning her head from side to side inspecting her handiwork. She didn't look half bad. Pretty damn good actually.

She peeked her head into the hallway to glance at the clock hanging on the opposite wall. 10:34.

 _What the hell am I supposed to do until 5? Ugh. Guess I'll call Rowan now_ , she thought with a sigh as she unplugged her curling iron and shut off the light, heading for the phone to call her best friend.

* * *

"Hurry up slow poke, I want to see!," called an impatient voice from Sarah's room across the hall. Rowan sat on the edge of Sarah's bed, practically bouncing up and down in anticipation for Sarah's "grand entrance" in her full birthday attire. She had helped Sarah pick out the dress, more like forced her to buy it when she saw how perfect it looked, but she still couldn't wait to see it with everything else all put together. "You better not be in there admiring yourself, that's everyone else's job."

Sarah's laugh echoed from the bathroom, followed by the creak of the door opening.

"It's about time," Rowan said as she watched Sarah enter the room. "Damn can you say superbabe?," Rowan gushed as she took her best friend's appearance. From the tightly fit dress in the fun shade of pink, to the long curls cascading past her shoulders, down to the shiny golden pumps she wore on her feet, everything had come together perfectly. Rowan had helped her with her makeup, playing up her eyes until the bright green shade sparkled even more than normal. In comparison to her everyday "minimalist" tom boy approach to style, Sarah looked like an absolute super model all dolled up.

"Thank you, thank you. You're too kind," Sarah played along as she flipped one side of her hair behind her shoulders dramatically. They both burst out laughing.

"No but for real, you look gorgeous. I bet Matt's going to die when he sees you," Rowan said after gaining her composure. She raised her brow, waiting for Sarah's reaction.

"Yeah right Row, we're just friends. Have been forever, you know that," Sarah said suddenly uncomfortable. She had known Matt Sanderson even longer than Rowan, and the three of them had been close ever since elementary school. Just the thought of him having romantic feelings for her was too weird to consider. This was the same Matt who still challenged her to regular burping contests after all. Besides, her love life was complicated enough already.

"Oookay, if you say so," Rowan chuckled as she stood up from the bed and glanced at the fancy gold watch around her wrist. "Well Cinderella, it's 5:15, guests have probably all arrived, and I think its time for you to make your grand debut," she said with a wink. "See you downstairs!," she called before disappearing out the door.

 _Great, thanks a lot Rowan._ She loved her friend to death, but Rowan sure had a way of saying the worst possible thing at the worst possible time. Even if it wasn't true, and Matt didn't have stronger feelings for her, the seed of curiosity had now been planted, and she had had enough stress build up in the past few weeks to last a lifetime, she just wasn't in the right state of mind to explore any new romantic possibilities. _Save it for another time. Time to go downstairs and kill it_ she thought as she put her game face on. This was **her** night, and she would make damn sure everything went right for once. She took a deep breath and headed out of the room towards the stairs.

Sure enough all her guests had shown up on time, and her decent sized home suddenly felt a lot smaller with everyone inside.

Her friends and family were all waiting in the foyer, chatting amongst each other and sampling the snacks Sarah's parents had placed on a banquet table in the room.

"Ah Sarah, there you are," called her dad enthusiastically, causing everyone to turn their attention to the brunette beauty coming gracefully down the stairs.

She could hear all the "oohs" and "aahs", and even a wolf whistle from the anything but subtle Rowan, and couldn't help but smile as her birthday was starting to turn out exactly as she had pictured in her mind for so long.

 _So far so good._

When she reached the bottom her father stepped forward and embraced her in a warm hug.

"My little girl is all grown up, I couldn't be prouder," he spoke low so only she could hear, nearly bringing tears to her eyes.

"Dad, stop you're going to mess up my make up," she said with a smile before pulling away, going off to mingle and greet her guests.

A pair of dark brown eyes watched from the back of room, as Sarah chatted and laughed her way through the crowd. The boy they belonged to leaned up against the back wall, slowly nursing his ginger ale.

"Matt the scaredy cat? Not something I would have pegged you for," came Rowan's voice from behind.

Matt rolled his eyes, taking a long sip from his cup.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said at last turning to face her.

"Oh you don't?," she challenged with a smirk. "I've known you and Sarah forever, and it doesn't take a genius to notice when things change. When **feelings** change," she said placing her hand on his shoulder. "At least go say Happy Birthday."

"Hey I'm going to okay?," he said, shrugging her hand away, pretending to be more annoyed than he actually was. " And nothings...changed, I'm just letting everyone else go first. I'm a nice guy," he teased.

Rowan chuckled. "Whatever, you're **both** in denial," she said before walking off to grab herself another soda.

Matt leaned his back against the wall with a sigh. Damn women. Always so observant. He just hoped she hadn't told Sarah about her theory, although knowing Rowan, she almost definitely did. He took a final swig of his ginger ale and set the empty cup on a table near by.

"Well, it's now or never," he muttered under his breath before making his way towards the birthday girl.

* * *

Sarah's head was spinning as she closed her bedroom door behind her shortly after the party had ended. The sudden silence seemed too loud and the soft light from her lamp seemed too bright.

 _What the hell just happened?_

She stared straight ahead at nothing for a moment as the night's events came rushing back to her.

Rowan had been right about Matt.

When he had finally approached her with a hug and birthday greeting, at first everything had seemed so normal. She even mentally scolded herself for even considering that she had anything to worry about. They were just friends. That's how it was supposed to be. But when he didn't pull back right away from their hug, her suspicions began to return. And when he looked her in the eyes as they let go, that's when she knew. She could read the question in his eyes. _Do you want me, too?_ It was the way a man looked at a woman...and it was terrifying.

It didn't seem fair for him to throw such a curve ball at her, and on her birthday of all days. As if she didn't have enough feelings to sort out already. Matt was a good guy, no a **great** guy, and one of her favorite people on the planet. And in any alternate universe she could maybe have imagined their friendship blossoming into something more, but her stubborn mind was still trying to get over the haughty King of the Underground, and poor Matt just didn't stand a chance.

She sighed as she move to sit on her bed and reminisce the better parts of her night instead.

The rest of the party had went wonderfully well all things considering. Her parents had even bought her her first car! A gently used ford escort, in a bright cherry color. It had taken quite a bit of convincing and cake bribing to get her to exit the vehicle and go back in the house.

Once she was back inside, her father had ushered her into the kitchen where everyone else was already waiting. As soon as she took her seat at the island, Karen quickly placed a large chocolate cake in front of her, with the message, "Happy Sweet Sixteen Sarah" written in blue frosting on top with a few sugary flowers here and there. Sixteen colorful striped candles were planted across the surface, their tips glowing from tiny flames just begging to be blown out.

Within just seconds of setting it down, the room had filled with the sound of many voices singing the "Happy Birthday Song", and Sarah couldn't help the blush that lit her cheeks from being the center of attention. After the song ended, she could feel all eyes on her as they waited patiently for her to make her wish. She stared down at the candles for only a moment before pushing her hair back and leaning forward to blow them all out on the first try. The room had erupted in cheers.

She laughed as she remembered how everyone had been so curious what she had wished for. She had simply told them all, "If I tell you it won't come true." Truthfully, she hadn't wished for anything at all. She had already learned that lesson the hard way.

Shortly after the presents were all opened and the cake was passed around, her friends and family began to say their goodbyes one by one. Of course the last person to leave had been the last person she wanted to see.

Matt had asked her to walk outside with him for a moment, and despite the strong urge to come up with a reasonable excuse to decline, she told herself that he was her friend and had been there for her many times when she needed someone to be. He deserved to be heard out no matter what.

The night air had been breezy but comfortable, and the stars were shining down brightly in the clear sky, giving everything around a silvery glow as they stepped through the door onto her front porch, hand in hand. Sarah's nerves were in an absolute frenzy as she silently waited for whatever it was Matt had on his mind.

He had stared straight ahead for a minute, took a few deep breathes before turning to face her with a pained look on his face.

"Man am I lame or what?," he joked, nerves clearly getting the best of him, too.

"I could have told you that," she teased back, not knowing what else to say, her hand starting to sweat underneath his.

His playful expression had turned serious then.

"I want you to know that you're friendship means the world to me, and I would never intentionally do anything to ruin what we have. You know that right?"

"Yeah. I do," she had said, afraid of what was coming next.

"But sometimes things are just out of our control...,"he trailed off staring down at the cement steps leading to the sidewalk.

 _Tell me about it..._

"What do you mean?," she asked feigning ignorance.

He sighed again,lifting his head to look back into her eyes. "I like you Sarah. I **like** you, like you. I'm sorry I don't know how it happened. We've been friends for so long, but one day I just saw you differently. And the harder I fought it the more I wanted you," both of their faces turned crimson as finished his admission. "You don't have to feel the same way or anything, I just couldn't go any longer without getting it off my chest, you know?"

"Yeah, Matt I understand," she had told him even though she wasn't really sure it was true. He had hugged her once more before walking stepping down to the sidewalk and heading to his car, leaving behind a very confused Sarah.

She laid back on her bed now, unable to get the scene out of her head. She needed a distraction.

 _I know!_

She sat up quickly and rushed over to her vanity table.

"Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus...if you guys can hear me, I could really use my friends right now," she said quietly, careful not to be too loud lest her parents overhear.

"Well it's about time," came a gruff voice from behind. She whipped herself up and around expecting to find Hoggle staring up, but coming face to face instead, with a large chest covered in orange fur.

"Luto!," she said joyfully as recognized the big friendly beast in front of her.

"Sawah fwend," he said in that sweet way of his. She embraced him tightly. A light tap struck her ankle, and she looked down to find Sir Didymus, the feisty little fox, peer up at her with big puppy dog eyes.

"It has been many moons too long, my lady. I can see thou is still as radiant as ever," he said with a bow. It brought a laugh out of her as she reached down to pet him affectionately on the head.

"I have most certainly missed you, too," she said still smiling. She glanced around the room for a moment before she finally spotted who she had been looking for. Standing shortly behind Ludo, was a very bashful looking Hoggle.

"Oh Hoggle, thank you for coming! Thank you all of you," she walked over and bent down to give him a hug.

"Well, that's what friend's are for. Ain't it?" he asked sounding slightly unsure.

"Yes, it definitely is," she reassured, elated to see her friends after what felt like so long. "So, guess what today was?."

The three of them looked confusedly to each other, none of them knowing the answer. Luto scratched his head, Sir Didymus began whispering to himself, and Hoggle shifted from foot to foot, each trying their hardest to solve the mysterious riddle she had given them.

"Oh you guys," she laughed. "It was my sixteenth birthday today. You **do** have birthdays in the Underground don't you?," she asked suddenly aware that they may have no idea at all what she was talking about.

"Ah but of course!," shouted Sir Didymus as if the answer should have been obvious the whole time.

"We must celebrate!," he said enthusiastically.

"That's okay, I think I've had enough excitement for one lifetime," she said shaking her head, feeling slightly guilty for mentioning it at all after his enthusiastic reaction.

"Sawah birfday?," Ludo asked tilting his big head in confusion.

She placed her hand under his chin and scratched gently earning herself a satisfactory groan from the gentle beast. "That's right Ludo. I was born sixteen years ago today."

"Sixteen? Is that all?," asked Hoggle incredulously.

"Well how old did you think I was?," Sarah asked genuinely interested in the topic.

"Uh I don'ts know," he said sheepishly. "300 something?."

"300! What no way!," now it was her turn be surprised. "I guess I didn't realize how differently it worked in the Underground," she sat down backwards in her vanity chair still trying to wrap it around her brain that 300 could be considered "young" for one's age.

 _I guess that means he really is like a thousand years old after all..._

"If I'd have known, I woulda gots you something," he grumbled shamefully.

"Oh Hoggle that's very sweet of you, but believe me when I say just seeing you three again is the best present I could have asked for," she said giving them her sincerest smile and meaning every word.

A sudden draft blew through the room after her words drawing each of their attentions towards the small window to Sarah's right. It was still tightly closed.

"What the hell was that?," she asked to no one in particular.

"Uh-Oh," Ludo said backing up, fear lacing his voice. Normally Sarah would convince him that there was nothing to be afraid of, he did have a tendency to overreact in these situations, but this time she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Something didn't feel quite right.

"Oh, I can tell you who it was," Hoggle said distastefully before mumbling "rat bastard" under his breath.

"Who?," Sarah asked standing up from the chair. They all looked around her room, and she felt her adrenaline spike as a certain fae king's face suddenly popped into her mind for no reason at all.

"Me," came his rich accent out of no where.

 _Shit._ She'd recognize that voice anywhere.

They all whipped around to the sound of his voice. He stood off to the side of her vanity, opposite the window, towering over the antique piece of furniture. Sarah had to force her mouth to stay shut, to avoid gawking at the sight of him.

"Happy Birthday Sarah," he purred.

 _Why is he so damn attractive? Ugh Stop!_

"You again?," she asked doing her best to come off as cold as she could.

"Please call me Jareth," he said with that smug confidence he seemed to master.

 _Huh?_ She hadn't even considered that he had a real name, despite the few times Hoggle had called him as such. She was honestly surprised it hadn't crossed her mind, but now was not the time for formalities and she was certainly never going to give him the satisfaction of using it.

"You have to leave! Do you have any idea what my parents would do to me, or you **,** if they walked in and saw you standing there?"

Amusement colored the Goblin King's face as he laughed at her urgency. "Sarah love, don't be childish. You and I both know that there's nothing they **could** do," he said with a charming smile still painted on his face.

She barely managed to bite her tongue to keep herself from correcting his childish remark remembering exactly how that played out in her dream.

 _Or was it not a dream? Did he just say that on purpose? Oh God how humiliating..._

"Yet I suppose they would say nothing of the dwarf, the talking rodent or the large ugly beast?," he continued with a raise of his brow, completely oblivious or at least pretending to be, to Sarah's inner turmoil.

She chanced a quick look to the three standing off to the side, each wearing the same look of shock she could feel on her own heated face.

"Well I...but they...," she struggled to find a response as she accidentally locked her pleading eyes with his challenging ones.

"Now that I've mentioned it actually, you three are free to go," he spoke as he broke her gaze and turned to face her anxious friends. His words carried an air of playful smugness, but the serious expression his face spoke volumes of his authority.

"But they just got here!," she whined.

"Yeah, and we're nots leaving Sarah alone with you, you can forget it" scoffed Hoggle bravely.

"You're forgetting your place again Hogbrain", sighed Jareth as he rubbed his temple between his thumb and index finger. "I really don't have the patience to keep reminding you," he ended with an icy stare.

Sarah watched the brief exchange with a look of panic on her face. The last thing on earth she wanted was to be left alone with this magical maniac, but she knew all to well what he was capable of if his demands went unmet.

"Don't care whats you say, we're no-"

"Hoggle it's okay, you all can go for now." Sarah interrupted before Jareth had a chance to make good on any threats that were surely crossing his mind. Just the memory of the bog alone caused her nose to crinkle and her head to ache fiercely. Getting him alone was also the perfect opportunity to find out just how much of an influence he had even had on her psyche these past few weeks, or if she was simply out of her damn mind all on her own. A question she wasn't sure she could handle the answer to either way, but definitely not in front of her friends.

"My lady?," Sir Didymus spoke up hesitantly.

"Thank you all for coming, it's really been the best birthday ever. I'll be all right, I promise. He won't hurt me," she assured the three of them as she bent down to place a kiss on Sir Didymus's cheek and then back up to do the same for Luto. When she reached for Hoggle, he drew back unconvinced.

"Sarah, are yous sure?," he asked.

 _No, not at all, but what choice do I have?_

She crouched down to her knees in front of him until they were eye level, and placed her hands on his shoulders comfortingly. She found it funny whenever she imagined when they had first met. Hoggle had been so insistent that he wasn't her friend, or anyone else's for that matter, but when she looked into his eyes now she had never felt so cared for in her life.

"I hope you know how great of a friend you are Hoggle," she said with a soft smile. His cheeks instantly turned pink with embarrassment from her compliment, but he found himself unable to help from smiling back.

"Ahem," interrupted a very impatient Jareth.

Sarah stopped herself from turning his way and shooting him her best death stare, there would be plenty of time for that in a minute. Instead she gave Hoggle's shoulders a light squeeze and gave him a kiss on the cheek like she had done for the other two.

"And yes I'm sure," she continued as she re-met his gaze. His expression was hard to read, and she was almost certain he wanted to protest some more, but after a moment he let out a defeated sigh and nodded.

"Just remember, should you need us...," he said as he took a step back.

She felt her smile grow. "I'll always need you."

Behind her, a brief flash of pain crossed the Goblin King's face undetected before being swiftly replaced with a look of indifference.

She watched as the three of them disappeared into thin air like it was the most normal thing in the world. Once they were gone the gravity of the situation she just put herself in finally caught up to her, causing her stomach to drop. She was all alone...with **him.**

"Finally I have you all to myself," a seductive voice purred behind her, sounding much closer than it should.

"Don't get any ideas," she said as she whipped around to face him, jumping slightly when she realized just how close he actually was. She took a step back. "I only agreed to this so I could figure out how to make you leave me the hell alone."

"I doubt that," was his only reply as Jareth turned, hands clasped behind his back, and started wandering around her room examining things as he went.

 _What?_

"What are you doing here?," she asked louder than she would have liked. She prayed her parents weren't close enough to hear.

He ignored her as he stood next to her vanity table, silently inspecting the photographs she had taped to her mirror.

"Look did you come here to talk to me or not?," she said impatiently as she moved to stand beside him.

He tilted his head to meet her eyes, his lips turned upwards in a smirk. The intensity radiating from his blue eyes caused her cheeks to blush, similar images from last night's dream flashing through her mind.

 _This was a bad idea..._

He continued his provocative stare down, gliding his eyes slowly down her front, stopping at her hips and back up to her eyes. She fidgeted nervously under his gaze.

"Well...?," she asked a little more on edge. His eyes darkened.

"I only came to see you," he said losing his smirk as he turned his attention back to the pictures in front of him. "But given our history of pleasant conversations and the turn of events following each, especially our **last** , sure let's talk," he said emphasizing "last" with an emotion Sarah wasn't sure she could identify.

"Oh there is **no** way that's going to happen again," she said before she could stop herself. With lightning speed he turned his attention back to her just as she registered her slip.

 _Shit shit shit!_

His eyes narrowed as he studied her, confusion and amusement highlighting his features. She frantically tried her best to keep her expression as nonchalant as possible, but she feared the worst. The damage had already been done.

"What isn't?," he asked simply, hiding his growing excitement.

"Never mind," she said looking down, diverting her gaze.

"Oh no Sarah, no running this time," he said as he reached out and put a gloved finger under her chin to tilt her face back up towards his. The moment he made contact with her soft skin she jumped back in a frenzy like the mild touch had set her flesh on fire. To her, that would seem like a pretty accurate description.

In that moment it became painfully clear that her dream the night before had been just that, only a dream. She thought she knew what his touch would feel like, but a simple brush from the tip of his finger was way more than she could have ever prepared herself for. Suddenly she wasn't feeling so confident in her defenses.

"Sarah..."

"Just forget it, okay!," she exploded no longer aware that her parents might hear. Her heart was pounding out of control and it was becoming increasingly harder to breathe. She walked to the other side of her room towards the door, half tempted to just escape. It felt like her room was shrinking and no matter how far away she got from him, he was just as close as before.

"How could I forget what I don't remember?," he asked as he began making his way towards her. He was grateful her back was to him since he couldn't help the wicked smile that stretched across his face. "I was simply reminding you of the time you rejected my proposal and broke my poor little heart. Two things I very much doubt you regret doing. That's the last conversation I remember precious. Or did I by chance miss one?"

She could hear his voice get progressively louder as he made his way to her, only this time she didn't want to turn around. Her mind was still racing trying to come up with a convincing enough lie, and if she looked him the eyes now he would surely see right through her.

"Now if I didn't know any better, I'd say you've been dreaming about me. About **us** ," his voice was lower now, almost a hiss. Sarah could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rising as he came closer still. "I find myself very curious just what it is you won't do again. What has you so...flustered. And I intend very much to find out," he said barely above a whisper as he closed the distance and brought his hands down to grip Sarah's shoulders gently.

"Like I'd ever tell you," she spat, realizing too late that she had basically just admitted everything.

"You don't have to," he said smugly before releasing his hold on her.

Grim curiosity got the better of her as she gave in and turned to face him. He had backed up a ways, his right arm held up in the air , a crystal ball now weaving to and fro between his skilled fingers. He did nothing to hide his devilish smile now as she looked at him with a wild panic in her eyes.

"Time to see how you really feel," he said, lust heavy in his tone. His eyes slowly left hers to stare deep into the crystal ball. She watched as several expressions, none of them to her advantage, crossed his face before anger and embarrassment swelled through her and she found her hands moving of their own accord. With a fury she wasn't sure she even possessed, she grabbed the crystal out of his hand and threw it against the wall, shattering it into a hundred sharp, tiny pieces before it disappeared completely. She had no idea how much he just saw, but from the victory smirk he still wore on his face, she could guess it was enough.

"Well now that was rude," he said with a light laugh.

"Get out."

"Oh Sarah don't be-"

"I said get out!," she said exasperatedly, her voice just short of full blown yelling.

His smirk turned predatory just then, and the energy of the entire room seemed to change. She could feel the magnitude of his power radiating off of him, and suddenly she wished she had kept her mouth shut.

"But I haven't given you your present yet," he said with a playful suggestiveness, one that was affecting her body in ways she was downright ashamed of. He took small steps towards her until she managed to back herself into the door. She placed her hand on the handle reflexively even though she knew it was pointless. He was much too close to her now for any chance at escape.

She could feel her knees threaten to buckle as he advanced until their bodies were merely inches apart.

 _This is too much like my dream...oh fuck..._

He was staring at her like she was ice cream cone on a hot day, and he was barely restraining himself from licking her up from head to toe. The blush on her cheeks deepened as the image of such sent waves of warm pleasure through her body.

Her nervous flush didn't go unnoticed by him, and he delighted in knowing how positively he was affecting her. It only fueled his ego further as he leaned forward until his lips were but a breath away from her ear.

"I want to make your dreams come true," he whispered, before running his nose along her jaw line.

Game over.

She felt the small crack in her resolve at his words. Her hand let go of the door knob, and it took every ounce of strength she had not to bury it in his hair and forcefully pull his lips down to hers.

His hands found her waist and she shivered uncontrollably at the contact and the similarity to her dream. He tightened his grip at her reaction as his lips brushed the top of her neck in a gentle kiss.

There was no denying this time just how badly she wanted this, just how close she was to giving in, but in the back of her mind it all still felt so... **wrong**.

She raised her hands to his shoulders, not sure if it was to push him away or simply find another reason to touch him. She hoped it was the former, but bet it was the latter.

His hands began lazily trailing up her sides as his lips worked their way down to her collarbone.

 _You have to stop this..._

"Jareth," she said breathlessly, slightly ashamed at breaking her rule of never using his name, but even more ashamed at how good it sounded to her ears.

"Mmm, say it again," he begged, burying his face in her neck. The vibrations of his words against her skin sent a surge of pleasure through her strong enough to force a soft moan from her lips. She was embarrassed for only a second before his face was back in front of hers, their lips only a breath apart, his eyes full of lust and excitement.

"So this **is** what you want?," he asked in disbelief as he stared into her eyes intensely, throwing her completely off guard.

 _Why is he acting surprised? He saw my dream, didn't he? Is he expecting me to say it out loud? What an asshole!_

With his hypnotizing lips off of her body, Sarah could feel her anger slowly start to return.

"What? No! Are you crazy?," she hissed as she used her grip on his shoulders to shove him forward. "Look, I don't know what you think you saw in your little crystal ball, but it couldn't have been what I want," she said crossing her arms.

"Why is that?," he asked calmly, not seeming the least bit fazed by her sudden outburst.

"Because what I really want is to never see you again," she said giving him her best serious expression.

He laughed loudly, earning himself a nasty glare. "You may be braver than most Sarah mine, but I know what you're afraid of."

"What does that have to do with anything? It certainly isn't you if that's where you're going with it," she said matter-of-factly.

"I wasn't."

"So what then?," she said annoyed, clearly running out of patience. She was still upset with herself for allowing him to touch her without a fight, and taking her frustration out on him seemed like a pretty good idea.

"Why did you stop me?," he asked changing the subject.

 _Is he serious?_

"I already told you, I didn't want it. I don't want **you**. Can't you take a hint?," she spoke, putting as much venom in the lie as she could manage.

"How strange, when you were most certainly enjoying yourself just moments before," he said raising his brow, daring her to try to deceit him again.

"You caught me by surprise that's all, and I can assure you it won't happen again." She stiffened as the wicked grin reappeared on his face. His mismatched blue eyes each seemed to turn a shade darker as he took a step forward.

"You don't believe that," he challenged, inching even closer. "And next time precious, I won't stop," she could read the dark promise in his eyes and it sent a dangerous shiver through her body. Panic crept it way back in as he closed the distance between them once more.

"Eww stop! Whether I liked it or not, which I definitely **didn't** , I'm only sixteen, okay? It's illegal," at this point she was willing to say anything to change his course of action. He was right, she didn't really trust herself to stop him if he tried anything again. Hell, it was hard enough not to make the first move herself.

"Your silly human laws are of no consequence to me," he stated confidently.

"Yeah well they mean something to me," she said squeezing her arms tighter around herself. He smirked at her attempt to appear innocent, she was playing hard to get and he loved a good chase.

"I see," he played along. "I had no idea it could all be so easy."

"What are you talking about?," she asked hesitantly.

"You simply wish to wait until it is socially acceptable in your world to explore your feelings for me, how honorable. I'd hate to be the one to ruin such a pristine reputation. I shall relinquish my advances," he said, showing no trace of deception.

It all seemed too good to be true as she searched his eyes for a trick of any kind. _Where's the catch..._

"Until you turn eighteen," he added, his words a dark promise.

 _There it is._

"Ha," she scoffed, "you mean to tell me, that you could go two **whole** years without interfering in my life? That would be a miracle, but I seriously doubt it," she remained unconvinced. "On second thought, maybe you'd forget all about me by the end of it. At this point anything would be worth that, so deal," she held her hand out to shake on it, a gesture she suddenly felt foolish making as it dawned on her he was probably unfamiliar with the earthly custom. She pulled her hand back quickly.

"Two years is hardly a long time Sarah, especially for one who can manipulate time itself," he said smirking, her face twisted in alarm as she registered his words.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"You wouldn't even know if I did," he said with the same teasing grin on his face. His hands found their way to the wall Sarah leaned against, placing one on each side of her head caging her in. She reflexively brought her hands to his chest, trying her best to keep as much distance between them as possible.

A lump formed in her throat, from the possibility of him speeding up time or the nervousness of having him so close she wasn't quite sure. She swallowed thickly as she ran through options in her head, no clear answers presenting themselves. Her mind was racing too fast for her to notice as something new caught his eye.

She jumped as his hands came down over her wrists, bringing her hands directly in front of his face.

"What have we here?," he asked as he inspected her left hand with intense curiosity.

 _What is he doing?_

Letting go of her right hand, he twisted shifted her fingers apart with his free one, exposing the tiny red burn mark on the inside of her index finger.

"It's nothing," she said trying her best to pull herself from his iron grasp to no avail.

Without a word he lifted the finger in question to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss onto her skin, his eyes never leaving hers. She closed her eyes and forced herself to swallow the wimper that threatened to escape her from his intimate touch.

"Until we meet again. Happy Birthday Sarah," he said barely above a whisper as he released her wrists and she felt the warmth of his lips disappear.

When she opened her eyes he was was no where in sight. She sighed and looked down at her hand, her eyes growing wide what she saw. The burn was completely gone, the only indication it had even been there being a soft tingling sensation left over from his kiss. She slid down the door until she was sitting on the floor, her hand still displayed in the air.

 _What have I got myself into..._


End file.
